Around, 1,202 people from Meghalaya have requested the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to remove their personal information from Aadhaar database.

They have written to UIDAI, stating that proper consent was not taken at the time of enrollment.

The Supreme Court has been hearing multiple pleas by the public, challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar in India. The people from Meghalaya have asked for information regarding the organizations with whom their Aadhaar number have been shared.

Some enraged residents claim that their permission was not acquired during the enrollment process. Even where they consented, they are demanding the withdrawal of their consent and have asked that all their personal information be removed from all Aadhaar related databases.

“There is no denying of the fact that that Aadhaar has proven to be a very powerful and safe digital platform to establish the identity of a person. It is based on three basic doctrines of minimal information, optimal ignorance and a federated database free from caste, creed, colour and racial profiling.”, an Aadhaar spokesman said.

UIDAI receives similar request for the cancellation of Aadhaar data but there is no provision for the surrender of Aadhaar Act, 2016.

The individuals requesting the cancellation have been informed that they can lock their bio-metrics to prevent any misuse of data, however complete cancellation is not an option.

Although the Aadhaar-holders cannot opt out of the system, the UIDAI holds the authority to cancel and suspend Aadhaar number if any discrepancy is found to be present.

A total of 8.46 million Aadhaar number have been suspended by the authority.

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